Homogenizing mill



April 22, 1930. w. EPPENBACH 1,755,576

HOMOGENIZING MILL 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 25, 1927 ll INVENTOR f l g.; April 22,.1930 w. EPPENBACH A HOMOGENI Z IN-G MILL Filed July 25, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR,

APY 22, 1930( w. EPel-:NBACH 1,755,576

HOMOGENIZING MILL Filed July 23, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 62 Gia /65 56a l Patented Apr. 22, 1930.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WILLIAM EPIENBACH, OF COLLGE POINT, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED STATES COLLOID MILL CORPORATION, OF LONG ISLAND CITY, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE HOIIOGENIZING `:MILL

This invention relates to colloid mills.

Pursuant to a preferred form of my invention, identified enerally as of the vertlcal type, the emulsi yin grinding, or homogenizing elements are isposed substantlally in a horizontal plane and the material to be treated isled to a region peripherally exteriorlyof the emulsifying, grinding o r homogenizing elements for treatment within the horizontal gap.

A. feature of the present invention 1s the assembly of one of the emulsifying, grinding or homogenizing elements in substantially fixed position, the mounting of the -co-actmg emulsifying, grinding or homogenlzing element to eiect rotation at any desired speed and to provide for the adjustment of the gap between the faces of the elements by adjusting the plane of rotation of the rotated elementrelative to the ixed element, `and thereby regulate the degree of emulsication. grinding or homogenization of the material treated. v

In such substantially vertical` forms of my present invention, the material after treatment is discharged under gravity through a Suitable discharge opening or passage, which by reason of the structural features of my mill is enabled to be of any desired diameter or other dimension of opening. This struc tural feature of my invention renders my invention particularly applicable for emulsifying, grinding or homogenizing materlals vwhich are or after treatment become highly viscous.

Further features of my invention include the assembly of the rotated, removably mounted element, the driving and supporting shaft of the same, the adjusting and mounting arrangement for adjusting the shaft and rotor of the rotated element, the mounting lof the electrical or other motor for effecting and other purposes incident to commercial use.

Further features and objects of the invention will be mor'e 'clearly understood from the following' detail description and the accompanying drawings in which K Fig. 1 is a side elevation, with parts broken away in central vertical section of one preferred form embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on line 2-2 of Fig. 1, on an enlarged scale;

Fig. 3 is a sectional elevation on line 3-v-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation on line 4--4 of Fig. 1; and

F ig. 5 is a bottom plan view of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings, the frame 10 is of any desired formation conforming to the requirements in commercial use. vertical types of my machine, wherein the electric motor 11 or equivalent rotating device is employed, such motor 1l is advantageously positioned at the top of the machine, and the frame 10 in such types of construction supports and partly surrounds the casing enclosing the emulsifying, grinding or homogeniz ing elements: the lowerly portion 12 of the frame 10 is hollow and of general circular or like contour for accommodating a tank 13 for receiving the treated material. Such tank 13 may serve as a container in which the treated material is accumulated, or may serve as-the receiving inlet of a pipe or equivalent for leading the treated material to any desired location.

Pursuant to the vertical types of my present invention, the emulsifying, grinding or homogenizing elements are conveniently two in number, one of which is fixed in position durn ing the operation of the mill and the other is rotated by the motor 11 by suitable driving and position-adjusting means. In the constructions where the motor 11 is placed at the top of the machine, the upper emulsifying, grinding or homogenizing element is conveniently selected as the rotated element.

.As one embodiment of such forms of my invention. I illustrate in the drawings the lower emulsiifying. grinding or homogenizing element 14 in the form of a flat annular disk,

For the assl which is suitably removably mounted in the lower casing portion l5.

The casing portion 15 is hollow centrally at its lower portion to provide a passage 16 therethrough fpr the treated material. The passage 16 terminates at the discharge outlet 17. Suchconstruction enables the discharge outlet 17 to be of any desired dimension, usually circular, an advantage which is of importance in the treatment of materials which are or become highly viscous.

Upon discharge of the treated material through the outlet 17 it may fall by gravity into the container 13 for accumulation of the treated material, as is illustrated in Fig. 1, or for leading the treated material by suitable piping for final discharge as may be desired.

The casing 15 is preferably provided with suitable temperature controlling means. usually for circulating water therethrough for cooling purposes; to attain such object it is convenient to cast or otherwise form the casing 15 with hollow walls. For a cylindrical or frusto-conical contour of the casing 15 as is illustrated in the drawings, the hollow wall may comprise a central annular hollow portion 18 communicating at the top with an upper-frusto-conical hollow portion 19 and at the bottom with a lower frusto-conical hollow portion 20, each extending completely about the casing portion 15.

vThe inlet for, the temperature controlling fluid is indicated at 21 to which the inlet pipe 22 is connected, and the outlet is indicatedat 23 to which the outflow pipe 24 is connected.

The upper emulsifying, grinding or homogenizing element is indicated at 25, which as is described more fully hereinafter, is rotatably mounted on the shaft 26 to provide rotation between it and the fixed emulsifying. grinding or homogenizing element 14 and also to provide for adjustment between ther element 25 and the element 14 to thereby adjust the gap therebetween.

The upper casing portion 27 comprises a substantially circular plate 28, the outer peripheral portion of which is bolted for support by bolts 29 on the oppositely disposed arcuate flanges 30 which project inwardly from the lower frame 12. For convenience of assembly and dis-assembly of the lower casing 15, for the purpose of cleansing, inspection and re lacement of the elements 14, 25, I support the lower casing 15 by depending or suspending the same from the plate 28 of the upper casing portion by means of the set of securing bolts 31, which are disposed in- -wardly relative to the set of bolts 29.

The central portion of the plate 28 is annularly flanged as is indicated at 32 to receive a bearing 33,see Figs. 2, 3 and 4, for the lower portion of the shaft 26. Preferabl the Shanks of the bolts 31, as is indicated at Fig. 3, are pinned by the transverse pins 34 to the lower casing portion 15, whereby upon removal of the nuts 35 of the bolts 31, the bolts 31 are retained in position in the removed casing portion 15.v

The material to be treated is charged through the inlet 36, see Figs. 1 and 3, by means of any suitable piping 37 or equiva` lent. Where required, pressure on the material to be treated may be applied by means of a centrifugal or other pressure feeding pump or equivalent. Upon inflow of the material to be treated through the pipe 37 as is indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, the material enters the casing in a general downward direction as is indicated by the arrow 37 and also horizontally and peripherally exteriorly of the elements 14, 25 within the hollow space 38 of the casing, see also Fig. 3.

As is indicated generally in Fig. 1 and illustrated in greater detail in Fig. 3, the upper element 25 is removably mounted on the rotor 39, which is in turn removably mounted on the reduced portion 26a of the shaft 26, and is secured thereto by the tightening nut 40 and lock nut 40a. Such removable mounting for the upper element 25 is preferably had by` means of a set of set bolts 41 received within countersunk openings 42 in the rotor 39'; the set bolts 41 engage and supportthe upper element 25 by entry in tapped threaded openings 43 in the unexposed or upper face of the upper element 25. As appears in Fig. 3 each countersunk opening 42 is of sufiicient depth to receive the head of its screw 41 and also to receive a closure disk 44 positioned by screw-threading by means of a Spanner wrench or equivalent to be substantially fiush with the upper face 45 of the rotor 39.

Therotor 39 is preferably annularly cut away as is indicated at 46 to receive the upper element 25 the cut away portion 46 is of sufcient inner diameter to enable an upper element 25 of desired inner diameter to be positioned or substituted, and thereby jointly with a lower element 14 of corresponding inner and outer diameters to control the total area of treatment to which the material is subjected within the gap between the upper element 25 and lower element 14. The removable mounting for the lower element 14 may be had by the provision of the cut away annular portion 47 in the lower casing 15 and a set of openings 48 for receivin the set bolts 49, the threaded ends of which mesh with the threadinor of the tapped openings 50 at the unexposed or lower face of the lower element 14.

Preferably, the peripherally outward edge of each upper element 25 is cut away as is indicated at 51, see Fig. 3, to facilitate the entry of the material to be treated to and within the gap between the upper element and the lower element 14.

The shaft 26 may be reduced in diameter as is indicated at 26b for the portion thereof extending through-the bearing cage 33 to the upper surface 45 of the rotor 39. The leakage of lubrication from the bearing 33 is precluded by any suitable means, such as the gland `ring 52 received within the circular recess 53 on the lower face of the plate 28 of the upper casing. The gland ring 53 is positioned and regulated in compression against the surface of the shaft 26 by the locking ring 54 which is threaded to mesh with the threadin of'the recess 53.

The rotor 39 and the upper element 25 are supported within andby the adjusting device 55, which comprises the adjusting housing 56 having an upper, horizontally extending flange 57, in which are a set of calibrated openings 58, see also Fig. 2, of predetermined spacing from one another and corresponding to the degree or width of the gap between the elements 14, 25. The manually set pin 59 serves to lock lthe adjusting flange 57 relai tive to the plate 60 which is integral with or otherwise rigidly supported centrally between the members of the frame 10, whereby upon registering any desired opening 58 of the adjusting ring 57 with the locking opening 61 in the fixed plate 60, and locking the ring 57 by means of the pin 59, the shaft 26 is rotarily supported at thedesired vertical position and thereby adjusts the vertical position of the rotor 39 and the upper element 25, relative to the fixed, lower element 14.

Any suitable form of rotary mounting and supporting means may be employed between the adjusting housing 56 and the shaft 26. One form of such means comprises an inner locking ring 62 the threading 63 on its inner face meshing with the threading 64 on the shaft 26, and an outer locking ring 62a, threading 65 on its outer face meshing with the threading 66 of the adjusting housing 56. The bearing cage 67 is enclosed between the locking ring 62 and the bottom'56a of the adjusting housing 56. The lower face' of the inner ring 67a of the bearing 67 abuts the annular edge 26c of the reduced portion 26,

lof the shaft 26, and the upper face of the inner ring 67'l is locked to the shaft 26 by the inner locking ring 62. The outer ring 67b of the bearing 67 is lockedbetween the bottom 56a of the adjusting cage 56 and the outer locking ring 62a.

The plate in the form of an annular ring serves as a closure plate and is remov ablypositionedby the screws 81'. The oil cup for the bearing 67 is indicated at 68, see Fig.'1.

The drive coupling between the uppermost portion 26dl of the shaft 26 and the shaft'69 of the motor 11 may be had by any suitable means. Preferably, I employ a coupling permitting axial movement between the terminal ortion 26d of the shaft 26 and the shaft o the motor. Such coupling may comthe I prise the shell 70 having an upper opening 71 for receiving the motor shaft 69, keyed therein by means of the key'72 and removably clamped by the clamping screws 73. lhe upper or terminal portion 26d of the shaft 26 is received within the opening 74 at the lower face of the coupling 70 and-,keyed therein by means of the key 75. The opening 74 is of sufficient axial length to provide a clearance, see 76, F ig. 1, for sufficient axial play in the coupling 70 to accommodate for the range of adjustment ot' the uper element T he operation of the parts of my hereinabove described embodiment of my invention will be largely understood from the above recited particulars.

It is apparent that the setting of the dimension of the gap between the effective surface of the upper element 25 and the effective surface of the lower element, 14 is had by freeingthe adjusting flange 57 by removin0r the setting pin 59, and turning the flange 57 to bring the said effective surfaces into contact with one another, which determines the zero reading, and then reversing the dirgction of turning of the adjusting flanfve 54 for the number of openings 58, which azie calibrated fromthe relation of the total number of openings 58 to the total arcuate degrees of 360 relative to the pitch of the threading 6()a of the fixed plate 60, i. e., the threading 56 by means of which the adjusting cage 56 is adjustably mounted on the plzte be t wi appreciated that u on the us the mill, the'effective surfaces oIf the elemfn 14, 25 may become worn -and thus such arrangement of determining the absolute diniension of the gap is effective notwithstandin such Wear.

lhen it is desired to cleanse the mill, or to inspect the same, or to substitute either or both elements 14, 25er other interior part.

the mill is readily opened up by removing the nuts 35, which permits the lower casing .lo to be lowered, and such parts fully exl posed for such purposes. It is noted that such act of opening up the mill includes the uncoupling of the water or temperature controlling fluid pipes 22, 24.

It is also noted that the closure disks 44 present substantially uniplanar surfaces with the upper surfaces 45 of the rotor 39 and preclude lany accumulation in the openings 42 in vwhich the heads of the positioning bolts 41 are seated.

rlhe speed of relative rotation of the elements 14. 25 is selected in accordance with' the chaiacter of emulsifying, grinding or homogemaing as desired and the nature of the material treated. Preferably. the effective surfaces of the elements is smooth, but suchsurfaces may be grooved or other nonsinooth between the remaining spaced, unilanar smooth faces of such surfaces, as will understood by those skilled in the art.

Whereas I have described my invention by reference to specific forms thereof, it will he understood thatmany changes'and modilications may be made without departing from the spirit' of the invention.

Y I claim: 4

1. In a mill, the combination of a plurality of elements having juxtaposed effective surfaces for emulsifying, grinding or homogenizing material to be treated, said surfaces being disposed in substantially horizontal planes, a casing for said elements, said casing'includin a'hollow portion extending interiorly of oth of said surfaces having a substantially4 vertically extending discharge for the treated material, and means for rotatively mounting one of said elements in said casing at a definitely set clearance relatiye to the other of, said elements.

2. I'n a mill, the combination of a pluralityv of elements having juxtaposed effective surfaces for emulsifying grinding or homogenizing material to be treated, said surface being disposed in substantially horizontal planes, a casing for said elements, said casing including a hollow portion extending interiorly 4of both of said surfaces having a substantially vertically extending discharge for the treated material, means for rotatively mountingone of said elements in said casing at a definitely set clearance relative to the other of said elements, and means for mounting another of said elements in said hollow casin portion.

3.l n a mill, the combination of a plurality of elements having juxta osed effective surfaces for emulsifying, grin ing or homogenizing material to be treated, said surface being disposed in substantially 4horizontal planes, a casing for said elements, said casing including a hollow portion extending interiorly of both ofvsaid surfaces having a substantially vertically extending discharge for the treated material, means for rotatively mounting one of said elements in said casing at a definitely set clearance relative to the other of said elements, and means for mounting another of said elements in stationary relation to said hollow casing portion.

4. In a mill, the combination of a plurality of elements having juxtaposed effective Surfaces for emulsifying, grinding or homogenizing material to be treated, said surface being disposed in substantially horizontal lanes, a casing for said elements, said casmg including a hollow'portion extending interiorly of both of said surfaces having a sutantially vertically extending discharge for the treated material, means for rotatively mounting one of said elements in said casing at a definitely set clearance relative to the other of said elements, and meansv for leading the material to be treated to a region Within said casing periphcrally outwardly of said elements.

5. In a mill, the combination of a plurality of elements having juxtaposed effective surfaces for emulsifying, grinding or homogenizing material to be treated, said surface being disposed in substantially horizontal planes, a casing for said elements, said casing including a hollow portion extending interiorly of both of said surfaces having a substantially vertically 'extending discharge for the treated material, means for rotatively mounting one of said elements in said casing at a definitely set clearance relative to the other of said elements, means for mounting another of said elements in said hollow casing portion and means for leading the material to be treated to a region within an upper portion of said casing peripherally outwardly of said elements.

6. In a mill, the combination4 of 4a lurality of elements having juxtaposed e ective surfaces, for emulsifying, grinding or homogenizing material to be treated, said surface being disposed in`substantially horizontal planes, a casing for said elements, said casing including a hollow portion extending interiorly of (both of said surfaces having a substantially vertically extending discharge for the treated material, means for rotatively mountin one of said elements in said casing at a de itely set clearance relative to the other of said elements, means for mounting .another of said elements in stationary relation to said hollow casing portion and means for leading the material to be treated to a region within an upper portion of said casing peripherally outwardly of'said elements.

7 In a mill, the combination of a removable element having an effective surface, a removable second element rotatable relative to said first-named element, said Vsecondnamed element having an effective surface co-operatingwith effective surface for emulsifying, grinding or homogenipzing material to be treated, said surfaces being disposed in substantially horizontal planes, a casing for said elements, means for rotatively mounting said second-named element in said casing, and means for adjusting said secondnamed element in a direction axially of said rotatively mounting means, said casing having a hollow portion extending interiorly of both of said elements and further having a substantially vertically extending central discharge passage for the material to be treated.

8. In a mill', the combination of a removable element having an effective surface, a removable second element rotatable relative to said first-named element, said second-named element having an effective surface co-operating with effective surface for yemulsifying, grinding or homogenizing material to be treated, said surfaces being disposed in substantially horizontal planes, a casing for said elements, means for leading the material to be treated to a region peripherally outwardly of said elements, means for rotatively mounting said second-named element'in said easing, and means for adjusting said ser'indnamed element in a direction axially of said rotatively mounting means, said casing having a hollow portion extending interiorly of both of said elements and further having a substantially vertically extending central discharge passage for the material to be treated.

9. In a mill, the combination ofva removable element having a substantially annular effective surface, a removable second element rotatable relative to said first-named element, said second-named element havingr a substantially annular effective surface co-operating with effective surface for emulsifying,` grinding or homogenizing material to be treated, said surfaces being disposed in substantially horizontal planes, a easing for said elements,

means for rotatively mountingY said second.

named element in said casing, and means for adjusting said second-named element in a direction axially of said rotatively mounting means, said casing having a hollow portion extending interiorly of both of said elements and further having a substantially vertically extending central discharge passage .for the material to be treated. v

10. In a mill, the combination of a removable element having a substantially annular effective surface, a removable second element rotatable relative' to said first-named element, said second-named element having a substantially annular effective surface co-operating with eiifective surface for emulsifying, grinding or homogenizing material to be treated7 said surfaces being disposed insubstantially horizontal planes, a casing for said elements, means for leading the material to be treated to a region peripherally outwardly of said elements, means for rotatively mounting said second-named' element in said casing, and means for adjusting said second-named element in a direction axially ot said rotatively mounting means` said casing having a hollow portion extending interiorly of both of said elements and further having a substantially verticallyextending central discharge passage for tliematerial to be treated.

In testimony whereot` l have signed this specification this 14th day ot July, 1927.

VVLLIAM EF1-EN BACH. 

